Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken Bowls

I’ve been using my Instant Pot about once a week. I love how quick and easy it is to use. I can cook almost anything, including frozen meat, in under an hour. My new thing is taking slow cooker recipes and trying to tweak them into Instant Pot recipes using the pressure cooking feature. I’ve been pretty successful so far.

Last week I took out chicken thighs for a recipe two days before I needed them and it turned out they were still frozen when I was ready to use them. I quickly changed gears and grabbed a recipe for sweet and sour chicken bowls that I had planned on using next week. I scanned the recipe and found I had all of the ingredients so I quickly adapted it to use in the Instant Pot.

The problem with this recipe is that while there is a fresh cabbage topping on the rice, there aren’t any vegetables cooked in with the chicken. I really like broccoli with my Asian chicken dishes and I haven’t had a sweet and sour dish without pineapple so I added both in to this recipe. It really worked well with the chicken and sauce.

I thought the cabbage, carrots, and radishes mixed with the sesame oil and vinegar was a fresh and crisp topping that paired well with the soft broccoli and tender chicken. Everything is piled high on top of a bowl of rice. There was just a hint of spice in this dish and I love the slightly sweet and tangy flavor.

This recipe for Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken Bowls was ready in about 45 minutes and that was using frozen chicken thighs. It would have been much quicker with thawed chicken. It was a hearty meal that really didn’t need anything else served with it. I had the leftovers for lunch the next day and thought it was even better then!

The chicken is so tender I could cut it with my fork. It absorbed all of the flavor from the sauce which was awesome. This would be great with pork or tofu too!

This flavorful and delicious Sweet and Sour Chicken with broccoli and pineapple is made with frozen chicken thighs in the Instant Pot then served over rice.

Author: Heather Lynne

Recipe type: Instant Pot

Serves: serves 4 with leftovers

Ingredients

2½ lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (frozen)

¼ c. cornstarch

2 T. olive oil

½ c. ketchup

¼ c. honey

1 t. Sriracha

4 T. soy sauce

2 t. fresh ginger, grated

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 t. salt

1 t. black pepper

½ c. plus 2 T. rice vinegar

2 c. broccoli florets

1 c. pineapple, cut into ½ inch cubes

3 c. cabbage and carrot coleslaw

½ c. thinly sliced radishes

2 T. sesame oil

1 t. garlic powder

4 c. cooked rice

Instructions

Place the chicken thighs in a large plastic bag along with the cornstarch. Seal and shake until the chicken is coated.

Turn the Instant Pot to saute and program it for 10 minutes.

Pour 1 tablespoon oil in the pan and add half the chicken thighs. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side then remove from the pot. Add the remaining oil along with the remaining chicken and saute for 2-3 minutes per side. Return all chicken to the Instant Pot.

When ready to serve divide the rice between 4 bowls. Divide the cabbage mixture on top of it. Place the chicken, broccoli, and pineapple mixture on top of the cabbage and drizzle remaining sauce over top of the bowls.

Hi! I'm Heather Lynne and I love to cook, bake, and read. During the day I'm a special education teacher in an elementary school working with students who have disabilities as well as at risk regular education students. I love working with my students but sometimes my job can get stressful. That's why when I get home I turn into Home Chef Hezzi-D. Read More…